Shi No Barado- ITLD AU one-shot: Week 5 of 11 weeks of Area 11
by SpiritedandLoyal
Summary: It's All Hallow's Eve ball, and Kaeyi's not got a dance partner- what happens when her fellow Gryffindor asks her for a dance? What happens when there's a Patronus celebration? InTheLittleDream Yogswarts (Yogscast & Hogwarts/Harry Potter) AU one-shot, featuring lyrics from Area 11's song Shi No Barado. KaeyiDreamXMartyn Ft. Yogscast! Other pairings mentioned. Art not mine!


**I don't own Harry Potter, Star Trek, Yogscast or any other Youtubers, Effie Trinket, Area 11, or the epic song Shi No Barado by said band. Or anything else I've missed. I can only wish. Also, the cover art is by Ferazhin and I OWN NOTHING. **

**Also, apologies for not updating for like three weeks! Hard drive issues and midterms mean I'm horribly behind. I hope the length of this makes up for it! **

_Kaeyi Pov_

Sometimes, I just wished I could just disappear, like Rythian always did with his annoying Invisibility Cloak.

Sure, I had been looking forward to attending the Halloween dance. But since I never have a specific group of friends to do stuff like this with all the time, so I wasn't sure how much fun it might be. Not a lot of people spoke to me regularly, except for my fellow loner, Rythian Enderborn from Ravenclaw. Mind you, some of the other girls, namely Lomadia and Beckii from Ravenclaw, Kim from Gryffindor (my dorm-mate,) and Dodger from Gryffindor (who was nice, but sadly not in my dorm), Minty from Slytherin and Zoeya from Hufflepuff were all pretty nice to me.

Then again, Zoeya was nice to everyone. She was just one of those people, and even Rythian would talk with her. Actually they were really weird friends, so sometimes the three of us hung out.

I hadn't really made a costume to wear the dance, even though most of the other students had. I sadly hadn't been able to decide on a good one. But maybe I'd transfigure one later, when I had an idea. I was good at Transfiguration class, that and Charms.

But that wasn't what made me feel left out at all at this dance. No, Zoeya had already claimed me as one of her people to hang out with during the dance, so it wasn't like I'd be lonely.

No, it was that fact that all the other seventh years showing off their newest and best spells in the hallways as they waited for the dance to start, or more specifically, their Patronus. We'd started learning it in class about a month or so ago, and most of the other students had mastered it already.

I didn't technically have a Patronus, because I couldn't cast it. Well enough to look like something, anyway. I could get silvery wisps out of my wand; I could even summon a shield, but I couldn't form an animal.

Since I was always ending up as 'that freaky new kid in dark clothes' in Muggle schools, it was _definitely _better coming back to Hogwarts every year- even if I wasn't super popular. Instead of joining the twittering crowd around me, I stood yonderly in a corner by myself, wondering about how I'd hopefully done on that test in Divination last week.

"Hey, you awake?"

A wand and hand waving in front of my face jerked me back into reality with a sharp jump.

"Sorry…" I could feel my blush heating my cheekbones, turning them the same colour as my hair had been this morning, when it had been long, bright pink curls. Right now, it had reverted to short and black. Oh, the joys of being a morphamagus, you sometimes weren't even sure of what you looked like! "I was just… umm… daydreaming."

Even more embarrassed by my stutter, I didn't dare lift my gaze to see who was talking to me at the moment.

"Don't apologize, jeez, we all doze off sometimes." The boy said. At least, it sounded like a guy. Did I know him? It definitely wasn't Rythian.

"Okay." My voice is a little more than a whisper as I stubbornly refuse to raise my eyes to see who's talking to me, despite my curiosity bubbling up inside.

I could feel his stare burning just as curiously back into me. "What do you mean, 'Okay?'" It's fine."

"I…Never mind." I silently cursed my social awkwardness.

"Why are you so upset, Kaeyi?" The guy asks me, more softly this time. I'm so startled by the fact that whoever it is actually knows _my_ name even though my appearance keeps changing that I look up so see who it is. It takes me a moment to place him, but even in a costume, Martyn Littlewood is hard to miss.

He's part forest elf and one of my fellow Gryffindors, and the best in our Herbology class. At the moment, his Gryffindor robes have been replaced with a dark greenish grey tunic, shoulder pads and leggings with boots. A brown leather belt wraps around his waist and a few matching straps are attached around his shoulders and chest. The entire thing is quite foresty themed, and his normally scruffy blonde hair has been severely lengthened (probably with a potion or a charm) and then tucked and smoothed behind his pointy ears. He also has a fake bow and quiver slung around his shoulders, so my best guess at his costume is some sort of woodland hunter.

"Kaeyi?" He asks again when I don't respond.

_Can I really just trust him like that? _I fret. It would be pretty embarrassing to just tell someone that I couldn't do the most interesting and fun spell in all of common magic.

Looking back, I remember that one time we had a project together in Potions class. He'd been pretty nice to me, always had a funny thing to say, and actually did his share of the work. _He seemed okay… _Besides, the awkward silence was deafening as he waited for my answer.

"It's just that I-I can't cast a Patronus." I blurt out.

His mouth drops open a bit. "You are having a bubble."

"Not a corporal one, anyway." I add, unable to hear silence after my confession. A few people look over in interest at Martyn's quiet exclamation. My cheeks burn even harder and I twist my hands into my cloak nervously, tightening them as if it would squeeze away all my shyness.

"Are you pronouncing it wrong or-" He shakes his head, stopping his own question. "Nah, you're too good at spells for that. It's a pretty complicated spell anyway… Have you even got a costume?"

I shook my head, short black hair bouncing and obscuring my vision slightly. People stopped watching us for the most part, probably losing interest when nothing big happened.

"Why not? It's Halloween!" He laughed. I relaxed a bit- just a teensy bit.

"I just didn't have any ideas." I gestured shyly down at my short black dress robes and red cloak, with a matching hat covered in silly stars that Kim had dared me to wear.

"Hey, Martyn, can we steal you for a second?" Someone yelled from across the hallway. Glancing over, I could see Sparkles*, a Ravenclaw who was in his seventh year as well.

"Sorry." The blonde smiled at me, and he seemed legitimately sad to be pulled away. He glanced over at his group of friends from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as well as our own House, then over at me. "You sure you don't want to come on over?"

I shook my head as quickly as I could. They were probably nice people, but I just wasn't in the mood at the moment.

"In that case, then…" He lowered his voice a bit and gave me a half wink. "Save a dance for me, maybe? My friends are playing some of the music for us tonight."

He hesitated for a moment, maybe waiting for a response, but another shout from his friends drew him away. I watched him go, stunned that he'd just asked _me_ to dance with him. I could have sworn he even glanced back over his shoulder at me as he wove through the crowd.

I settled back into my corner, leaning against the wall. After about a minute or two, during which I was _not _watching a certain Gryffindor Housemate of mine chat with his friends, an invisible voice popped up just a few feet from us.

"Was he bothering you?"

I wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry or just smash my face against a wall in frustration. Rythian was a good friend, almost like a big brother to me, but he got overprotective sometimes. And he was even less social than me- I mean, he turned invisible when he was forced to go anywhere with lots of people, unless it was at meals and classes and such.

"No, he was pretty nice actually." I told the tall Ravenclaw quietly.

"I heard him ask you to save him a dance." Rythian mentioned bluntly.

"Yeah." I shivered for no apparent reason, and drew my red dress cloak closer around my small black dress robes. I wasn't actually cold though.

"Are you going to dance with him?" He asked cautiously.

I hesitate. "If he really meant it…" I say slowly, almost whispering. I felt like if I said it loudly I couldn't turn back or change my mind. "Then I… I think I might."

Rythian made an _Hmm _noise, though whether it was of approval or worry I couldn't tell.

"Are you going to ask Zoeya?" I questioned, half teasing, half serious.

I could hear the swish of the invisibility cloak as he turned to look at the redheaded Hufflepuff girl, who was currently making her canary Patronus fly around the arched ceilings as she chatted with a few other Hufflepuffs.

"I don't think so." He admitted glumly. "We're total opposites, and besides, I'm bad luck."

I struggle to find a way to cheer him up. "You're not bad luck to me."

He laughs bitterly. "I'm the lone wolf, the one with dragon heartstring and black walnut wand. I know huge chunks of the Dark Arts because I'm ready to fight fire with fire if I have to, even if it seems like Dark wizards aren't a problem right now. Just yesterday, I got paired up with Ross in Potions and the whole thing turned purple instead of green when I stirred it with my wand."

"Don't-" My words of hopefully not terrible advice are cut off by a huge roar of excitement as the doors open to the Grand Hall and students pour in, cheering. Rythian throws off his Invisibility Cloak with a disappointed groan and melts into the crowd. I follow his example, keeping my gaze low.

Just after I enter the room, I have to squeeze past a group of boys in my grade swarming the Every Flavour Beans, daring each other to eat the dirt ones. I pick out only one Ravenclaw- Ross- but there's three Slytherins: Sips, Sjin and Smith, who's wrestling Trot from Hufflepuff, who is wearing a walrus costume for a huge box of the treats.

I next made my way past some tables to a quiet spot between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, grabbing a delicate sugar quill from a nearby table to nibble on. Sure enough, Rythian appears from the crowd seconds later, moving to stand next to me with a half-eaten toffee in hand.

"Nothing interesting?" He asks casually. His ever-present mask is part of his costume today, as he seems to be some sort dark warrior or ninja person.

"Not really. And no, I'm still not sure if I'll dance with him or not." I answered his silent question.

"Want me to grab you some Butterbeer?" He raised an eyebrow at me, only half joking.

"Not yet. If I start freaking out, though, I probably won't mind so much." I joke right back. Butterbeer is great, and not really alcoholic, but with Ravs _and _Minty in the same room, you couldn't trust your drinks.

Rythian opens his jaw to reply underneath his mask, probably his trademark "Fair enough." But he's cut off by a certain red-headed girl practically _bounding_ over to us, an already almost half-empty mug of Butterbeer with a marshmallow floating on top of the foam in hand. "Rythian! Why aren't you making the bread?"

Rythian took one glance at her outfit and said curtly; "No. That's not fair; I can't dress up as her."

Zoeya pouted in her fiery red dress for a moment, but her smile never went away for long. "In that case, come on! Ravs said he had something he wanted you to try!"

Laughing, I watched Rythian get tugged out across the dance floor by an overly energetic Zoeya, trying not to laugh at his incredulous expression of _help! _Apparent even with his mask.

I had _just _reached for a Chocolate Frog about ten minutes later when the current song ended and Sparkles* grabbed the (magical) mike.

"All right everyone, this one is one of our own songs, and if you were looking for a really special dance tonight then this is gonna be it!" He shouted. People cheered and groups of friends broke apart, swarming to find their dates. The lighting dimmed, leaving only floating candles and wand light to cast a dim lighting across the room.

"Kaeyi?" Martyn's voice broke into my observations of the room, making my stomach feel like it was suddenly full of fairies and butterflies as he approached. "Is this dance reserved for someone else, or can I join you?"

Unlike earlier, he actually looked kind of shy asking me. For some reason, my heart fluttered at the sight. He looked really cute like that. _Wait, what? _

"We-well, maybe I saved this one for you." I tried to sound confident, but my heart was pounding so hard it was probably going to replace Leo's magically enhanced drum set, which had just started a soft and steady beat.

His brilliant smile at my reply basically told me he didn't care about my passing nervous stutter at all. He offered his hand a bit shyly and I took it with only a slight hesitation, following him out onto the dance area of the floor as the piano's music filled the room.

"Do you know how to dance?" He asked me lightly.

I laughed, a _bit_ forced but not a lot. My heart even stopped fluttering so much. "I love dancing, actually. I used to take Muggle lessons."

He placed his other hand on my hip, and I easily recognized the type of dance everyone else was starting. As I placed my hand on his shoulder, or more specifically his costumes armoured shoulder, he stepped closer.

"I'm a Muggleborn, did you know that?" He told me offhandedly.

I shook my head, sending my short black hair flying around my head. "All I knew was that you were part forest elf."

"Well, that's true too. But I have no wizard blood." He corrected as guitar joined in to the music.

"Doesn't matter now, does it?" I teased.

"I suppose not." He steered us in a circle so we could move to a less crowded part of the open floor.

"What is you costume, anyway?" I asked, confused.

He laughed. "Legolas, from Lord of the Rings. It's a Muggle book series they turned into movies."

The name rang a faint bell in my mind. "I think I read the first part of the Hobbit once. That's the same collection, right?"

"Yeah." he replied just as Sparkles* began to sing.

**_"I saw your face in the LEDs,"_**

"It's the prequel, anyway." He added as an afterthought.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense, then." I murmured back and we continued to away to the music, which had become more energetic and uplifting as the rest of the band joined in.

**_"My revenge was your gift to me,"_**

"You still haven't gotten a costume." He pointed out. I flushed a bit.

"Not everyone is wearing a costume." I struggled to find someone who wasn't a professor.

"Like who?"

**_"It was something that I could never repay, but I will try, anyway."_**

My eyes landed on Rythian's dancing partner.

"Zoeya isn't."

He followed my gaze across the room and shook his head.

"I talked to her earlier; she's dressed up as Katniss." As I managed to successfully turn us so I could see her better, I realized that he was right. Zoeya's fiery- literally, she'd lit it with magical fire of some sort- red dress shimmered and glowed. With the better view, I suddenly understood as the song continued in the background. **_"I sent a message I know you see;"_**

"That's why she told Rythian he should go make some bread earlier! She was calling him Peeta!"

He chuckled, spinning me in a circle. "That sounds likely, knowing her."

**_"A promise written on a TV screen," _**

Just as I had finished my twirl, Martyn apparently decided to sing along with his friend's band. **_"Now fate led you down the path to me, and I'm begging you, on my knees,"_**

He stopped when he saw my slightly shocked expression.

"Sorry." He flushed, embarrassed.

"No, it's good. I just didn't know you could sing." I blinked at him, still a bit surprised.

**_"'Cause baby when our eyes met," _**he continued. Onstage, Beckii had joined Sparkles* in singing, echoing his lines. **_(Because baby when our eyes met,)"_**

**_"I could never look away." _**

Martyn looked straight into my eyes as he sang the line. All the fairies and butterflies in my stomach tripled, making me a bit dizzy and even more nervous.

**_"_****_(I could never look away)"_**

**_"You're all I ever wanted,"_** Distracted by singing the lyrics, Martyn nearly tripped.

**_"_****_(You're all I ever wanted,)"_**

Laughing, I helped him regain his balance. Onstage, the song poured out. **_"There's nothing left to say!"_** **_"(There's nothing left to say!)"_**

Poor Martyn blushed the brilliant red colour of the Gryffindor tablecloths. "Oops."

"No worries, mister Legolas."

**_"'Cause baby you can use me, I will do what you want me to,"_**  
>I could have sworn I saw Sparkles* look over at us and suppress a snicker into the microphone as Beckii sang her lines. <strong><em>"('Cause baby you can use me, I will do what you want me to.)"<em>**

"It appears I am legless when it comes to dancing as Legolas." The blonde boy joked, brushing off his tunic and taking my hand again.

I started laughing really hard at his bad joke.

**_ "And baby you can kill me, when I'm no use to you."_**

**_"_****_(Baby you can kill me, when I'm no use to you.)"_**

Martyn tried to start our dance again, but I was still giggling. He started grinning too, and we ended up just standing hand in hand and laughing off to the side of the dance floor area, which got us some strange looks for a brief moment.

By the time I'd ran out of breath from laughing so hard, the blonde was singing along again. **_"My body will be a fortress; I will keep you safe from pain."  
><em>**  
>He raised the hand I was holding and I twirled.<p>

**_"My eyes will be your weapons,"_**

"Hey, Kaeyi," he added as we slowed to a more even pace in our dance, returning to the simple steps.

"Yeah?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Your hair's changing." He grinned, a bit of a questioning note in his voice. I tossed some over my shoulder to see it properly, and sure enough, it had turned a gingery colour, just a bit longer than my previous bob style. "It looks pretty."

**_"My losses are your gains." _**

The moment he complimented me, I was pretty sure my cheeks turned the same sunset shade as my new hair colour, though I was beaming.

"Thanks." I couldn't even convey how much the compliment meant to me in the simple word, but it was all I came up with on the spot.

"It's true." He winked teasingly.

**_"Together we can burn this to the ground,"_**

"This might sound really weird..." Martyn began. "But this, right now, is this like... Your natural face, or is it always changing?"

I wasn't really sure how to answer the question as we drifted to the far corner of the dance floor.

**_"Rebuild it into something bright, 'cause you are bigger than the planet Earth."_**

"Well, my mom always told me it was natural when I was asleep." I started. "But it changes often, and I normally let it. How I'm feeling affects it, too... Like, if I doubt myself at something, my nose gets bigger. But no, it doesn't change like crazy."

"Not when you're lying?" He joked, clearly referring to my nose changing sizes.

"Nope. When I'm angry or upset, my lips get thinner, and when I'm feeling shy, my eyebrows get _way _thinner."

**_"And I am your satellite_**!" Sparkles* belted out in the background, the magical microphone carrying the sound all the way to us.

"Really?" Martyn said, fascinated.

"Yeah, and when I'm sleepy, my eyes get smaller."

"Then you're wide awake right now, because your eyes are huge."

"Sugar quills do that to you." I replied jokingly.

Up on stage, Sparkles leapt right back into the chorus, Beckii on his heels. **_"Because baby when our eyes met,"_**

**_"_****_(Baby when our eyes met,)"_**

Martyn joined straight back into the singing. **_"I could never look away; you're all I ever wanted!"_**

Figuring I may as well by now, at least for fun, considering the chorus lines didn't change, I followed Beckii's lead and echoed him. **_"(I could never look away, you're all I ever wanted,)"_**

It suddenly hit me that I _did_ recognize this part of the song now, the part that wasn't the chorus. The band had been playing it as a warm up yesterday, when I'd stopped to listen within a small crowd on my way back from the last class of the day.

**_"There's nothing left to say!"_**

"I didn't know you knew the song too!" Martyn exclaimed. His expression was half surprised and half delighted.

**_"Because baby you can use me,"_** **_"(Baby you can use me,)" _**The song continued onwards without us. **_  
><em>**  
>"I don't know all of it..." I warned him.<p>

"I also didn't know you could sing like that." He added.

**_"I will do what you want me to."_** **_"(Do what you want me to,)"  
><em>**  
>"What, badly?" I replied.<p>

"No, a better than a lot of people." He said. "And I guess I don't know you that well because we don't talk much. But we can fix that, right?"

I smiled happily and let him twirl me around again.

**_"And baby you can kill me, ('Baby you can kill me!') When I'm no use to you."  
><em>**  
>"Sure, if you want to." I replied; suddenly shy again at the thought of spending more time with him, though I <em>do<em> want to get to know him more.

The music's beat changed a bit and I hope desperately I remembered the lyrics for this part. I was at least 82% sure this was the part I had stuck in my head this morning. Taking a deep breath, I sang along with Beckii. **_"I'm not afraid and I'm not alone, because you're with me in my dreams," _**

Martyn's smile told me I'd guessed correctly as he jumped in with Sparkles*'s echo. **_"(You're with me tonight!)"_**

**_"I won't give up on this perfect love, even when my memories fail me,"_** I sang, a fair bit off tune but having too much fun to care.

**_"(When my memories fail me!)"_** Martyn, on the other hand, nearly had a voice crack.

Stifling my laughter as he recovered, I continued with the dually sing line. **_"Because I see you through burning eyes;" _**

Martyn poked me gently as revenge for my laughing at him and I poked him back as the next line rang out.

**_"I'd write your name down in my heart,"_** I drew out the last line as Martyn epically decided to_ stop_ singing and twirl me again.

"Your hair just changed again." He whispered to me as I span. Sure enough, my hair changed to a long braid of pale blonde, just lighter than his.

"I haven't tried this one before." I smiled. "It's pretty nice."

**_"Oh baby I'm just using you,"_** Sparkles* sang.

Martyn leaned closer to talk in my ear. "Right after this, 'Look into the skies.' Ready?"

**_"My love you know I want you to_**." Beckii continued on with flawless precision.

I nodded to my dancing partner, feeling a small but happy grin on my face. **_"Look into the skies!"_**

We definitely weren't the only people who sang along to that line. Nearby, as the short instrumental started, I even spotted a familiar (albeit short) head dancing with someone who I couldn't quite place, who was dressed in a Muggle costume.

"Is that Kim?" I verified with Martyn, gesturing to the pair.

He nodded, taking in our Housemate's kimono, which was in the Gryffindor colours of red and gold.

"She's not wearing a costume either." He remarked.

"I think she was supposed to be her role model, I can't even pronounce the name! But one of the greatest Malaysian witches that came from Hogwarts." I remembered. Kim had been waffling on about her possible costumes for close to a week and apparently I'd retained something from listening.

**_"Because baby when our eyes met,"_** Sparkles launched back into the chorus yet again. Beckii echoed him. **_"(Baby when our eyes met ;)"_**

"And what in the name of the old Headmistress McGonagall is Lalna?" I asked as I figured out who was dancing with her. "Is he a Muggle doctor?"

**_"I could never look away." "(I could never look away.)"_**

"A Muggle scientist, I thought." Martyn replied.

"I don't think I get it." I replied uncertainly. Lalna, Rythian's Potions rival (Forget about Nilesy, because the Hufflepuff was better than everyone at brewing,) and pretty much his competitor for _everything_ –even outside of class- dressing up as a Muggle?

While I was lost in thought, Martyn started softly singing along to the song _again_. **_"You're all I ever wanted, ('all I ever wanted,')" _**

"What's your favourite class?" He asked me between lines of the song.

"I really like Charms and Transfiguration, and they're my best classes. I kind of like Care of Magical Creatures, too."

**_"_****_There's nothing left to say. ('Nothing left to say!')"_**

He nods. "Herbology is my favourite. I like Defence Against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures, too."

**_"Because baby you can use me, ('Baby you can use me,') I will do what you want me to, ('Do what you want me to.')"_**

"What do you want to do when you graduate from here?" He added curiously.

I giggled. "What is this, twenty questions?"

**_"And baby you can kill me, ('Baby you can kill me!') when I'm no use-"_**

"I just want to get to know you better; I mean you're so quiet outside class that I don't know you that well." He admitted, dipping me down low.

At first, I felt awkward about my sort-of antisocial tendencies being brought up, but after a moment I realized he actually _wanted_ to know me better, and I brightened a bit. "I'm not sure, but I think maybe a private Charms tutor. Maybe a few other classes, too, for people who aren't close enough or healthy enough to go to boarding schools. You?"

**_"When I'm no, because baby when our eyes met, ('Baby when our eyes met ;')"_**

"I want to be a wand maker."

**_"I could never look away; ('I could never look away!')"_**

I blinked in surprise as we spun around together. "Really?"

Wand making was tricky and dangerous. It took years to learn, and getting a reputation was difficult.

Martyn grinned widely. "Yeah. What are your wand components?"

I wrinkled my brow a bit as I dug up the needed information. "Cherry wood, dual core of unicorn tail hair and fairy wings. Between flexible and swishy. Nine inches, I think."

He nodded. "Bad at hexes and Dark Arts, killer at Charms? Good at everything else, but surprisingly powerful because cherry is a rarer wood. Most people that use it are in Japan."

"I was told it was rare wood, but you pretty much just said everything about it." I exclaimed in amazement.

**_"You're all I ever wanted, ('You're all I ever wanted,') there's nothing left to say. ('Nothing left to say!')"_**

We both silent for a moment, save us humming the lines of the song.

"Is it you first wand?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'd hate to break it, it's quite friendly."

"Yeah, I like mine too. It's English oak, eleven and a half inches, unicorn hair core, sturdy. It's not super powerful, but it's loyal to me and it's good for my nature skills." He grinned. You could _see_ how enthusiastic about the subject he was, because he wouldn't stop smiling as we chatted.

**_"_****_Because baby you can use me, ('baby you can use me,') I will do what you want me to. ('I will do what you want me to.')"_**

"You're serious about this kind of stuff, aren't you?" I asked, only half teasing.

"It's just _epic_." He turned us in another circle, laughing a bit. "I got super interested when I got my first wand, and last August I visited the Ollivander's shop a few times to watch him work. It's amazing to watch the wands pick people."

"I remember when mine picked me." I giggled at the memory. "It started glowing and stuck itself in my hair!"

**_"_****_And baby you can kill me, ('Baby you can kill me!')"_**

"That's one I haven't seen." The costumed blond smirked slightly. "I have seen, though, one that smacked the poor boy on his butt. Another one chose by flying down a girl's sleeve and into her shirt."

"I'd probably die of embarrassment if that happened to me." I admitted, finishing a twirl in our dance.

**_"_****_When I'm no use to you."_**

"Hey, Kaeyi…" He swallowed, hard, looking into my eyes.

"Yeah?" My voice is almost a whisper, suddenly shy and scared of rejection all over again.

"Next time we go to Hogsmeade, want to hang out with me? Just us?"

"Like…a date?" I reply, my heart hammering. My cheeks felt like they were flaming hotter than a phoenix's tail.

"Yeah."

Looking at his face reminds me of my Gryffindor tie- bright red with streaks of yellow blonde hair interrupting it.

The comparison almost makes me burst out in giggles. Managing to hold it in, I leaned in close to his ear and murmured my reply, suddenly noticing that my hair was changing into long, bright pink curls like it was often.

"I'd love to."

**_"_****_Baby when our eyes met… (Woah.) " _**Sparkles* held the note insanely long.

Martyn's face broke out into a relieved grin. "In that case…"

The half forest elf, half human wizard suddenly dipped me back. My heart started to race all over again, looking up into his blue eyes.

**_"_****_You're all I ever wanted… (No-oh…)" _**

He leaned in and kissed me. Just like that. It seemed to go on forever inside a split second, but it was too short the moment it was over.

The blonde boy pulled back gently and helped me stand up straight again, just as Sparkles* gave a wolf whistle that was approximately way too close to the magic microphone. All around us, as the lighting went back to normal. A few catcalls echoed as people turned to see us still standing hand in hand and blushing.

The only thing that kept me from fleeing that very moment was that fact that we weren't the only ones getting catcalls. Kim and Lalna were getting a lot, and so were a few other couples, like Xephos and Lomadia who were practically making out over by the Ravenclaw table's pile of pink coconut ice and treacle fudge.

"Kim! Xephos!" Honeydew the Hufflepuff dwarf pushed his way through the crowd, grinning wildly. "You lost your bets!"

For a smaller guy, the ginger had an amazingly loud voice. Practically everyone looked over to see what bets had apparently happened.

Kim looked over at Honeydew, then at Martyn and I. When she first saw the two of us together, she immediately had a victorious smile. Moments later, though, she seemed to realize what Honeydew had said and turned pale. "Honeydew, that wasn't a real bet!"

"Don't trust a dwarf!" He grinned maniacally. "Time to go, Mandrew."

While poor Lalna looked utterly confused, Kim muttered apologies to him as she let go of his hand and cast a transfiguring spell on her ruby red and gold kimono.

Seconds later, she was wearing an onesie. A corgi onesie.

Honeydew erupted in a fit of howling laughter. Kim blushed pink.

"And Xephos, stop snogging your owl girl and get in your costume, you lost your bet too!"

"Excuse me," Lomadia told the dwarf, flipping her long blonde hair back over her shoulder. "I'm an owl _lady._"

"Shots fired." Martyn snickered next to me. I giggled.

Xephos leaned away from Lomadia just enough to crane his neck and see Kim next to Lalna, standing very close. He looked _very _worried.

"You cheeky bugger." He laughed. "Darn you."

"What did you do?" Lomadia asked her boyfriend.

"The thing is…." The brunet Ravenclaw stammered. "I kind of, uh, made a bet with our friend, Honeydew, here, that Lalna wouldn't have the balls to ask Kim to dance with him."

"And you lost." The blonde Ravenclaw crossed her arms and looked _very _disapproving of her boyfriend's life choices.

"Yes."

Honeydew apparently got impatient and quickly pointed his wand towards his close friend. In a split second, his friend's commander something or other costume into a bumblebee costume. A girl's bee costume.

A girl's bee costume, one of those ones that were supposed to look alluring but just looked horribly wrong on a tall, lanky dude like Xephos.

Nilesy was the first to laugh, and then just about everyone started to crack up. Even Lomadia was laughing so hard she had to lean back against the table to support herself. Near the stage, Sjin was chuckling so hard he nearly dropped his precious (not really, but never tell him that or he'll go Effie Trinket on you) mahogany wand. Minty, who was standing next to him with a mug of Butterbeer, elbowed him sharply so he didn't stumble into her.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Xephos shouted, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Alright, everyone, that's enough." Headmaster Ridgedog called, summoning Sparkles*'s magical microphone to his hand with a well-trained flick of his dogwood wand. "It's time for our Patronus celebration, to celebrate how many of our students have managed to achieve the mastery of this difficult spell!"

My stomach plummeted at his words. I was normally one of the best at Charms, but if people realized I couldn't cast the spell, who knew what might ensue? There would go my status as best in the class, and basically the only thing people knew me by.

My face must have changed, or something, because Martyn leaned in closer and whispered in my ear. "We can go together, if you want."

I shook my head stubbornly. "I don't want to."

To my surprise, the blond didn't back down. "You were happy just now! That's a newer memory to try, try that one at least. Please?"

He gave me an absurdly adorable and ridiculous look that _was _admittedly cute but in the sad little pug kind of way.

I tried to give him a look that conveyed my _No way in the name of the Dark Lord _feelings towards this particular situation, but he wouldn't back down.

"Do it at the same time as me." He said. "If it doesn't work, don't worry about it. I know a lot of our Housemates who can't summon one yet. It's crazy advanced."

We stared down for at least thirty seconds, in which time Lomadia and Xephos went first with their Patronus, which were an owl and an eagle respectively.

"Please." He added again.

Nilesy's catfish Patronus swam through the air.

"I don't know…" I said finally.

Professor Vox grinned and flicked his redwood wand, sending a lazy dark-and-light grey patched cat Patronus through the air.

"You can't give up without even trying." He protested.

Zoeya joyfully sent her canary flitting through the air.

"I've tried before." I say faintly, losing the argument.

Rythian's huge, dark grey-silver wolf howls silently from across the dance floor. I can feel my friend's eyes on me, debating on whether or not to interfere with our conflict.

"I'll buy you a bubble tea." He promises.

My strength wavers. How did he know my favourite Muggle drink? I hadn't had one in months. The offer was tempting, admittedly.

Ross' Patronus is a beetle of some sort- a dung beetle? Of course, that's why he always talks about 'eating shit'. No offense meant.

Lalna's silver dolphin shows off next, swimming and diving through the air.

My heart says I should try the Patronus spell one more time, my head warns me it won't work.

"Fine."

He grins victoriously and glances around. "We're not right away, don't stress it."

Kim's shining red panda (well, obviously it's white, not red; but you know what I mean, the animal. A Firefox.) Bounded happily around.

Trot's walrus is surprisingly agile, but its bulk is nothing compared to Teep's dinosaur. Yes, a half sized T. Rex Patronus.

Then it's ours.

Martyn twines his fingers more tightly into mine and I echo his deep breath, producing my wand from my sleeve's pouch.

Remembering my classes, I move my wand in circles to start. Martyn pulls out his and follows suite, glancing over at me.

_Happy memory… happy memory… Our dance?_

I try and go back in time to our dance, when we were singing along without a care in the world. Laughing as the music filled the room and encouraging us to dance. Martyn having a voice crack.

The sheer randomness of that thought makes me smile despite myself and squeeze Martyn's hand to tell him I'm ready.

_"__Expecto Patronum!" _

As one, two bursts of silver pour out of our wands into the shape of two white kittens striped and dappled with silver. Martyn's is stronger than mine, fully formed and playful whereas mine is only partially corporal, meaning it was wavers and flickered a fair bit.

They bounce around for a moment, but then mine fades away to little more than a silvery wisp after just a few seconds. Martyn's kitten Patronus looks around, confused, and then decides to dash around our feet for a minute before trying to play with my shoes. Martyn reaches down and 'pats' it on the head, but when he touches it, it simply fades

A bunch of cheers suddenly reach my shocked mind, still not fully realizing that I'd managed to summon a semi-corporal Patronus. But then the other fact sinks in.

_I have the same Patronus as Martyn?! _

About a hundred and sixty thoughts run through my head at once, too jumbled for me to feel anything but surprise. Next to me, Martyn lets go of my hand to wave to someone across the room as Dodger summoned her fox Patronus not very far away from us.

Rythian appeared from nowhere and clapped his hand on my shoulder. "Nice _kitten_ spell there." He teased me lightly. Then he nudged Martyn next to me with his elbow. Despite the fact that both Rythian's arm and Martyn's shoulder were armoured from their costumes, Martyn still rubbed at his shoulder good-naturedly. (Forest elf pun not intended.)

"What's new, Rythian?" He asked casually, flicking his wand back into his belt as his friends arrived behind him, the group including all of Area 11 and Beckii, Strippin and Dodger from Gryffindor, and Toby from Hufflepuff.

Rythian gave Martyn a glare, _casually _tossing his wand from his left hand to his right. "Hurt her, and you'll wish you were dead."

Martyn, to his credit, didn't back down under the taller and darker student's gaze, though he was smart enough that he didn't make a wisecrack. I wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed, mortified, or touched by Rythian's warning. I felt like all three.

Martyn's friends made that decision for me as they all started cracking up. I nudged Rythian with my forearm and leaned closer to his ear.

"Don't _do _that!"

"What? Ravenclaws aren't supposed to lie, it's quite unwise. Except for some of them…" His stern violet gaze swung over to where Lalna was eagerly talking to Kim and Zoeya about something, gesturing wildly with his thickly gloved hands. "Great, he's off about Muggle 'Science' again. I don't see why, it's nowhere near as good as magic. I'd better go."

He disappeared underneath his Invisibility Cloak _again, _which frustrated me. He could just Apperate wherever he wanted, he _had_ a license even if he couldn't do it inside the school- but even in Hogsmeade and on Platform 9 ¾, he used his cloak to disappear mysteriously.

"Hey, Kaeyi." Martyn tugged me out of my thoughts as I absently watched where Rythian had disappeared. "You still need a costume; the dance still has a ton of time left!"

"But what?" I asked him. "I couldn't think of anything."

He laughed. "Do you trust me enough to let me transfigure one for you?"

I weighed my choices. "As long as I can change it back right away if I don't like it, okay? Rythian wasn't kidding about what he said."

"Close your eyes." He told me. Nervously, I did as he suggested.

Seconds later, I could feel that whatever I was wearing was warmer and fuzzier than my previous dress, robes and hat. Opening my blue eyes, I found myself in a grey and white onesie. At first, I thought it was grey kitten like our Patronus, but as Beckii passed me a little mirror so I could see the hood part, which had rainbow fuzz and a floppy horn, I realized that I was a cheesy Muggle-style unicorn.

It was brilliant, fuzzy, warm, and really cute. I was almost certain I squealed when I first saw it, and if that wasn't enough, I had to hug Martyn because it was just so fuzzy and adorable. Martyn was blushing when we broke away from our embrace.

An idea formed in my mind. "My turn!" I smirked, whipping out my wand and casting a transfiguring spell on his Legolas costume, thinking of something I saw in a Muggle store once.

When the puffs of magic disappeared, Martyn too was in an onesie, but his was designed like a university team jacket and was coloured in light orangey-yellow and deep navy blue, with the word "NERD" spelt out across the back. One the front, a big letter N was stamped on the left. A few fun lines and edgings were added as well, to decorate it.

Martyn laughed when I passed him the mirror as to better see. "What does the back say?"

"Nerd." I exclaimed proudly. Behind us, Sparkles*, Leo, Strippin and Parv were laughing hysterically. Kogie had wandered off to grab a drink or snack, and Beckii and Dodger were giggling a few feet away to our rights.

"Nerd?" He repeated unbelievingly. "Not that I have anything against it, but why nerd?"

"Well, because you were dressed up as a book character-"

"He's in movies too! That's what I based the costume off of!" Martyn protested, not really upset.

"-and you were, like, _really _fast at rattling off all those wand lore and magic stuff." I finished, smirking lightly.

"That's all?" He teased slightly.

"Well, I also happen to really like Nerds." I joked.

"Like, those Muggle candies over there?" the blond asked, gesturing to a nearby table piled high with the pink and purple heaven.

"Yes!" I nearly shouted. Grabbing the sleeve of his new onesie, I dragged him away to go attack the boxes. "Why didn't you tell me about those earlier?!"

**That's right, Kiki and Pascal Patronuses. I went there. **


End file.
